The principal who proved to be a shot in arm for his school

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 2

When the government-aided schools are dying a slow death in many parts of the state, Devi Sahai SD Senior Secondary School stands firm in Basti Nau with full dignity. And the credit for this goes to Raj Kumar Sharma, 56, who changed the school’s fate completely when he joined it as its Principal in December 2001 and turned it around completely.

When he joined the school, it had a strength of around 1,000 students. There was only the arts stream and it was not a co-ed school.

Sharma, with his efforts, made it possible to start commerce and science streams here. He made the school co-educational which was earlier only for boys and now the strength of the school is more than 1,900.

Sharma, while explaining the journey, said while other schools in the area do not have the NCC, he made it sure that his school had this important discipline.

Sharma had joined the teaching job in 1989 as a mathematics teacher in Devi Sahay SD Senior Secondary School, Sodal Road.

Noble service

The principal has identified 81 students who have lost their father and special coaching is given to them by the principal himself.

“Many mothers of students who had no father would often also come to us and complain that their wards were not serious,” he said, adding that he made it sure that he gave special attention to such students. Also, apart from giving them special coaching, the students are also given uniform free of cost and no fee is taken from them.

Outstanding results

The school always manages to get merit positions in class X and XII exams and stands out among other government and aided schools.